Kinship Care Services FAQ's

Q. What is a Kinship Resource Center?

A. The Kinship Resources Centers are staffed with Children Social Workers (CSWs) who have the experience, knowledge and training to provide support to relative caregiver families to enhance the promoting of permanency, safety and reduced reliance on foster care as a placement option.

Q. What is the purpose of the Kinship Resource Center?

A. The purpose of the Kinship Resource Centers is to provide a linkage for relative care providers to public and private community-based resources. And to assist relative caregivers in maintaining their kinship family units.

Q. What are the available services and resources?

A. The services and resources are, but are not limited to:

• Information and referral


• Financial aid/counselin;


• Education assistance


• Health care


• Household and family necessities


• Housing referrals


• Legal services


• Support groups


• Caregiver training (Kinship Education Preparation Training, KEPS)


• Mental health/counseling
  
• Ilp/emancipation


• Mentoring services


• Tutorial services


• Child care/respite care

Q. What is a Kinship Care Liaison?

A. Kinship Care Liaisons are Children Services Administrators I s (CSA Is) assigned to regional offices to assist Regional Administrators, Supervising Children Social Workers (SCSWs), Children Social Workers (CSWs), Resource Center Social Workers, community-based partners and other stakeholders to facilitate services to relative care providers to ensure children are safe and permanency is expedited for children that cannot return to the custodial parents.

Q. How does the Kinship Care Home Approval Process work?

A. Relatives must be considered first for all children who are in need of out-of-home care placement services. At the time a child is taken into temporary custody, the CSW shall inquire of the children and parents if there are willing relatives and /or non-relative extended family members (NRERM) that can be considered as a placement resource.

Every effort shall be made, where possible, to place children with willing, able and appropriate relatives and avoid even temporary placement in non-related foster care

The Adoption & Safe Family Act, Assembly Bill (1695) and the California Code of Regulation, Title 22, Division 6, Chapter 9.5, Article 3 requirements set the standards for assessing and approving the homes of relative and NRERM (Non Relative Extended Family Members) caregivers. This standard for safety mandates the state to set the same requirements and standards for kinship caregivers as those for foster caregivers.

The Approval Process is comprised of five standard areas that must be met before the home is approved. The standard areas are:
1. Criminal Record/ Prior Abuse Clearances
2. Caregiver Qualifications
3. Safety of the Home and Grounds
4. Child’s Personal Rights
5. Completion of Orientation / Training

Upon receipt of the Kinship Home Assessment Request from the regional office, the assessment shall be initiated:
a) If the child is already in the home, (temporarily placed) within five business days and completed within 30 calendar days.
b) If the child is not in the home, the assessment shall be initiated within seven business days and completed by 30 calendar days.

The Annual Assessment is due 365 days from the approval date of the initial assessment.

. Completion of Orientation / Training

Upon receipt of the Kinship Home Assessment Request from the regional office, the assessment shall be initiated:
a) If the child is already in the home, (temporarily placed) within five business days and completed within 30 calendar days.
b) If the child is not in the home, the assessment shall be initiated within seven business days and completed by 30 calendar days.

Q. If a licensed foster parent is moving and is planning to take the foster children with them, should they be approved, instead of licensed?

A. No. Upon rare occasion a foster parent may want to discontinue being a licensed foster parent, but wants to continue caring for a particular foster child. In such a situation, the county must determine if the foster parent meets the definition of a NREFM only if it is perceived as in the best interests of the child and then assess and approve the former foster parent as a NREFM per the approval standards.

Q. When a child is placed with a relative who is already licensed or certified as a Foster family Agency (FFA) home, how is the payment determined?

A. If the home is a licensed foster home, you must inform eligibility that the child is a relative and they will make the Title IV-E payment determination based on the relationship and the foster family home rate based on the child's age. Approval is not necessary because the caregiver is already a (licensed) foster family home.

If the home is a FFA certified home, but you are making a relative placement directly into that home, the payment to the caregiver is based on the relative relationship and approval of the home; the payment amount would be the foster family home rate based on the child's age. The approval process must be completed before the payment can be made.

If the home is a FFA certified and you are making a placement with FFA because the child requires that level of care, and the selected FFA home also happens to be a relative, the payment would be the FFA payment rate because you are making the placement to the FFA, not directly to the home. For additional clarification, please see ACL No. 04-28.

Q. Is the one year assessment due date ("reassessment due date") counted from the certification date, the date the social worker signs the SOC 815, or the date the supervisor signs the SOC 815?

A. The one year reassessment due date is based on the date the assessment/approval worker certifies the relative/ NREFM meets standards. A home has to be reassessed annually on the anniversary date of the initial approval. For example, If the initial approval was August 21, 2003, the reassessment is due on or before August 21, 2004. If the assessment/approval worker reassess the home prior to August 21, say August 10, the next reassessment would be due on or before August 10 of the following year. Compliance monitoring will be looking at whether counties performed the reassessment timely.

The following issue was not addressed in the All County Letter was the following:

Q. If a foster parent certified through a foster family agency, (FFA) wishes to become the legal guardian of the child, does the home need to be approved by the Kinship Support Division, prior to termination of jurisdiction in order for the foster parent to receive foster care payments?

A. No home assessment and approval by the Kinship Support Division is necessary prior to the guardianship being granted.

Q. Can a case be close under Kingap if an assessment was done?

A. No. There must be an approved assessment within the past 12 months.